Who kills Smaug with an arrow in The Hobbit?

Bard the Bowman kills Smaug with an arrow in The Hobbit.

Bard is a man of Lake-town and a descendant of Girion, the last Lord of Dale. When Smaug attacks the settlement, Bard remains at his post after other archers’ weapons fail to stop the dragon. A thrush tells him about the unarmoured patch beneath Smaug’s left breast, a weakness Bilbo had discovered.

Bard then fires the Black Arrow, a family heirloom associated with Girion. The shot strikes Smaug in the vulnerable spot and kills him. The dragon falls onto Lake-town, causing further destruction even after his death.

The other options are important Tolkien characters but do not perform this act. Beorn is a shape-shifter who later joins the Battle of Five Armies, Dáin Ironfoot leads dwarf reinforcements, and Thorin Oakenshield is the expedition’s leader. After Smaug’s death, Bard becomes king of Dale.